The Castle Chronicles
by 2258882
Summary: This isn't really a fanfic, not based on a book, but I got my ideas from a book. People say they like it. It's about a boy who lives with his uncle in a castle and discovers some pretty creepy things going on.
1. Chapter 1

Containment 0728

Here are some things you need to know before I tell this story. I'm 13 years old. I live near Connecticut and I live with my uncle. We live in this rich neighborhood filled with mansions. But his house takes the cake, because his house is not a house, but a castle. An old, creaky, 5 story, 68-room Italian castle. I always knew my uncle worked for the government, but he never told me exactly what he did. What I like doing when I go to his house (or castle) is exploring it. Currently, I have explored every single room except for his secret library. He always keeps the door leading to it locked, but I found the key. I also made a copy of it for myself. Anyway, I waited at night until he was asleep, then I took the key out from underneath my pillow. I got dressed and put on my shoulder-holster that he gave me. I got a flashlight, my dagger, a can of pepper spray and a lighter. I tucked the key in my pocket and crept into the dark hallway. I made my down to the ground floor then down a narrow staircase leading to the basement area. I walked up to the wooden double doors of the library and pressed the key into the keyhole. It fit nicely. A triumphant grin spread across my face and I pushed open the doors.

The inside of the library was well lit. I stepped onto a black and white-checkered marble floor and closed the doors behind me. The room was decently sized, with rows and rows of dusty books. I made my way to one of the shelves and pulled a book off the shelf. I heard a metallic _click _and the floor started to move. It sunk down in a spiral pattern and grew steps. I realized I had just opened a secret staircase. _I had always wanted to do that! _I thought. I looked down at the book. I blew off the dust. On the cover, it read, **Containment 0728**. I looked at the staircase and knew what I had to do. I slowly began my descent into a living nightmare. As I walked the steep, spiral staircase, it began to get darker. I turned on my flashlight. I decided I didn't need my book and set it down on one of the steps. If only I had bothered to read it.

Once I had gotten to the bottom of the staircase, I saw a rusty lift. Engraved in the side of it was **Containment 0728**. I took a deep breath. Maybe I was crazy. Maybe I was fearless. Maybe both. I stepped onto the lift. There was a dark panel and a fingerprint scanner. I pressed my finger down on it and felt a warm green light pass underneath my finger. A rusty cage door closed across the entrance to the lift and, with a jolting movement, the lift began to descend. Finally, it reached the bottom. The door opened and I stepped into a musty, rust covered hallway. There was a couple hanging lights on the ceiling, so I put my flashlight away. I found a rusty double- barrel shotgun lying on the ground. I checked it and it had two shotgun shells in it. I didn't know if it was functioning or not, but I put it in my shoulder holster.

I continued down the hallway until I reached an iron door. **Containment 0728 **was scratched into the door. I accidentally sneezed. My big mistake. From behind the door I heard an inhuman roar. Something started to pound the door. Terrified, I stepped back. Dents started to appear in the door. Then with a final _THUD! _, the door came crashing down. Standing there was – something that barely even resembled a human. Where the eyes would have been, there were stitches. It had a huge gaping mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth. There was fresh blood stained across its face. It was grey and shriveled, yet it stood tall. It reminded me of some kind of Zombie. Without having to think about it, I took the shotgun out of its holster and shot 0728 in the stomach. I heard a sickening _sploosh _and blood spattered onto the floor. I reloaded and shot the other round at it, taking a chunk out of its shoulder. It let out another roar and threw a slimy, grey arm at me. It grabbed me and pulled me in. It opened its enormous mouth and sunk its teeth into my shoulder. I let out a cry of pain and reached into my pocket. I pulled out my dagger and stabbed it in the side. It let go of me and howled. I whacked it in the head with the shotgun and then I ran.

I got to the lift and quickly scanned my finger. Suddenly, 0728 lunged at the lift just as the cage door started to close. The door closed on its hands, severing them from their owner. 0728 screamed in outrage and slammed his face into the lift door, spattering blood onto my face. The lift began to rise up, leaving 0728 in the dark, rusty hallway. When I got out of the lift, I could hear a repetitive roar underneath the lift. I took my dagger and cut the wires keeping the lift suspended. I heard an enormous crashing noise. 0728 stopped roaring.

I ran up the staircase and put the book back in the shelf. I heard the metallic clicking noise and the staircase contracted, closing back up to become a marble floor again. I went and sat down in a chair in the corner of the room to catch my breath. Once I had calmed down, I noticed that I was sitting at a desk. There were papers sprawled out across the workspace. There was an opened letter addressed to my uncle. This could be my chance to find out what my uncle really did. I read over the letter. It was a request from the government asking if my uncle could catch and contain specimen 0657, which, apparently, had been found in a forest near Denver, Colorado. I gasped. I couldn't believe my eyes! My uncle's an undercover agent who has a job capturing and containing dangerous creatures and beings! I looked around the library and realized that every single one of the books led to some sort of contained specimen. My days at my uncle's house had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

The Truth

"So let me get this straight. You discovered the truth about me." Said my uncle as he was sewing up my wounds. "Yeah, I guess you could say that…ow!" You stole the key, made a copy, snuck into the library, found a passageway and almost got yourself killed?" "Yes." I said quietly. "I can't believe it! Out of all the troublesome things you've done…" he said, scratching his stubble. "Oh well… I guess the truth had to be discovered someday…" He said. "Ouch!" I said. "Could you be careful with that needle? You at least could've let the maid do it." "Don't you think the maid would have thought bite marks a foot and a half in diameter would've seemed a little strange?" My uncle mockingly pondered. "Well," he said "I guess since you already know the truth about me, I'll need an extra hand. Things get tough when you live in a castle filled with…specimens." "So what are you saying," I asked. "Are you saying that I can help you with your job?" "It depends." he said. "Maybe you can help out around the house, but the field work, going out and catching specimens, is too dangerous for you." "Oh." I said. "Alright, your stitches are done." He said. "Now rest up. Your work starts tomorrow." "Ok." I said. I made my way back to my room, not thinking about my stiff shoulder, but about how much cooler my life had just gotten. Not only was my uncle ok with what I did, he _hired _me. I lay down, turned my TV on to the discovery channel , and then drifted off into a undisturbed sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The Freezer (Part 1)

The first thing I noticed was a strange flashing. Panic struck through and I sat up. _Oh. _I thought. _It was the just the TV. _I rubbed my eyes. _What time was it? _I looked at the clock. 5:56. I decided I should get up. Normally, I sleep with my clothes on, so I didn't have to worry about changing. I got out of bed. My dog shadow, a black lab, perked his ears up when he heard me getting up. He jumped up with excitement and started to wag his tail and bark. "Calm!" I commanded. Shadow stopped and ran over to me. I scratched his ears and gave him a treat. He happily took it in his mouth and went back to his dog bed. Due to my black-out curtains, my room was a perpetual darkness, the way I liked it. The only light there was came from the hallway. I stumbled into the bathroom, clumsily hitting my knee on the cabinet. I brushed my teeth and wandered out into the hallway. It was surprisingly cold. I pondered this for a moment. It was early summer. It shouldn't be like this. I shivered and walked over to the elevator. (Yeah, we have an elevator.) I hit the _ground floor _button. The doors opened up. I stepped in. It was warmer in here. I waited a short while. Then the doors opened up. I stepped out and turned left down the hallway.

As I made my way to the kitchen, I began to hear someone talking. I got up close to the entrance. I heard the chef grumbling about something. I heard, "Strange…freezer…closed before…" I stepped into the kitchen. "Ah, bonjour, monsieur Nicklaus. I noticed ze strangest zing. Last night, ze freezer door was closed. Zis morning is open again. Whole house freezing. Brrrrrrr!!" "Yeah, that is weird." I said. "I remember it being closed too." "Yes!" He exclaimed. "You do not zink ze castle is haunted or anyzing, do you? Anyway, would you care for some eggs and toast?" "Yeah, thanks, chef!" (That's his name.) Shadow trotted in. "Ah, shadow, would you care for some eggs too?" Chef teased. Shadow barked. Chef laughed and set down a dog bowl with some kibble and a raw egg. Shadow dug in. Chef handed me my plate and I chowed down. As usual, it was excellent. When I was done, I wiped my mouth and put the plate in the sink. My uncle walked in. His name was Rob. "Morning. Chef! Morning, Nick." "Morning." I said. When my uncle was done with his eggs, he motioned for me to follow him.

We went into the hallway and made a couple of turns. When he was sure no one was around, he spoke. "Last night, I told you that you could help me out." He said. "We'll begin with an easy job. Making sure the creatures are secure. All you have to do is go to a containment room and check on the creature's progress. Some of them will be hidden, but as long as there are no signs of escape, that creature is still secure." "Ok." I said. "You can go to the library and find a containment room. But first: your safety. Follow me."

I went with him into his office. He had framed picture of him standing in front of the castle. He took it off the wall. Behind it was a fingerprint scanner. He pressed his thumb on it. A green light enveloped it for a short time. I heard a click, and then a doorway opened up in the wall. _Cool!_ I thought. I followed him into a small room. There were drawers everywhere. He took a key and opened a couple drawers. Out of them he pulled a revolver, a shiny dagger, a taser gun, a couple tear gas bombs, 2 flash grenades, some ammunition, and a walkie-talkie. "For the walkie-talkie, just press the green button in the middle to contact me if something is wrong. I assume you know how to use the rest." He said. I nodded. He had taught me how to. He handed me a new shoulder holster, a belt holster, and a bullet proof vest. I could tell these were for protection. He gave me a bag to put them in. "Take these back to your room and try them on. You may start your job whenever you like. In case you ever run out, I'll assign the servants to carry a couple boxes of these types of things to your room. Don't worry; they won't look in the boxes." "Alright." I said. I made my way back to my room. I put on my bullet proof vest and my shoulder and belt holsters. _Surprisingly comfy. _I thought. I loaded my revolver and taser gun with ammunition, and put them each in their own space my shoulder holster. I put the grenades and dagger in my belt holster. I made it to the library unnoticed. _I've never been more excited in my life! _I thought.

I shut the double doors and sighed. It was too quiet in here. I turned on a TV in the corner. Hearing the news calmed me down. I made my way down the aisles looking at the titles on the books. I passed by books like: Mountain Crabs, Bio Trees, and sea leeches. Then, a certain title in particular caught my eye. I stopped and looked at it. It said, _The Freezer. _My curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to check it out. I pulled the book out. I heard a metallic _click _like last time, and the bookcase slid back. Under it was a narrow staircase big enough for one person to go down at a time. I made my way down. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a steel door with an eye scanner. I pressed the _scan _button and a dim green light passed over my eye. I heard a beeping noise, and the door opened. I stepped through and found myself in a long, narrow hallway. I walked through it to another steel door. I pulled my revolver out and pressed my finger onto a finger scanner. It was cold. A familiar green light passed under my finger and the door grinded open. I gasped as a blast of cold air hit my face. I was standing in a large room completely frozen over with ice. A chair was in the corner of the room. That's it. A chair. Something about this was wrong. My shivering hands cocked the revolver. Suddenly, a gust of icy wind blew past me. Something in my mind clicked. This room is completely indoors. I panicked and slammed the door shut. I dashed down the hallway and stopped at the stairs. I had left the door open. I couldn't tell if that was good or bad. Probably bad.

I slammed it shut and ran up the stairs, almost tripping. I put the book back in its spot in the bookshelf. The shelf slid back in place. I ran down the aisle and found the double doors open. Whatever it was had escaped. I cursed and pressed the green button on my walkie talkie. My uncle's voice came on. "What is it? What's going on? Is everything all right?" "No!" I shouted, panicking. "Everything is NOT all right!" "Where are you?" He said. "In the l-library." I stuttered. "I'm coming." He said. I covered my face with my hands and sobbed.

A minute later, he came in the room. "Are you all right?" I wiped my eyes. "Yeah." "Where were you?" He asked. "The freezer room." I said. "Oh god. This is not good. I'll have to get some people from my…corporation...to come over here and fix this before it gets out of hand." "Why, what's going on?" I asked, now calmed down. "It's better if you didn't know until this is fixed. Go stay in the kitchen with chef while I contact my people. I need you to stay safe." "Yes, sir." I said. I quickly walked down the hallway. _Whatever's happening,_ I thought, _I don't like it._


End file.
